Reviewing Holy Writ: Interpretation In Law and Religion

Holy Writ: Interpretation in Law and Religion is precisely what its title suggests. The book consists of “assembled essays on interpretation in the field of law and religion” written by Justice Antonin Scalia and professors of law and philosophy from the University of Leiden and the University of Utrecht. The genesis of the book was “a conference in the honour of Justice Antonin Scalia, who visited the Leiden law department to celebrate the opening of the new faculty building.” (Preface, ix) The structure of the book makes it particularly enjoyable. The collection is aptly likened to a chain novel in the book’s preface. After an introduction by the book’s editor, Justice Scalia is given the first substantive word with his essay. As the first author in the chain, Justice Scalia has little, if anything, to say about the essays that follow his. However, the authors who follow Justice Scalia engage him and each other. The result is a book laden with robust and informative discussions about many aspects of the interpretation of religious and legal texts